[ltp] Running a tp on an inverter?

[Eric Smith]

"Alex C. Snoeren" <snoeren@mit.edu> wrote:
> I've run several ThinkPads (600s and 760s) on an inverter without a problem,
> but we have an industrial-grade inverter that outputs something
> approximating a sinusoidal wave form, so YMMV, especially if you try it with
> one of the little cigarette-adapter variety inverters.

I haven't tried it, so take this with a grain of salt.  But in general,
switching power supplies (as used in all desktop PCs, and most bricks for
notebooks) are actually perfectly happy with a square-wave input waveform,
as would be gotten from a cheap inverter.

Linear power supplies (using transformers), on the other hand, are prone to
heat up more when teh waveform deviates from sinusoidal.

Generally if the power brick is very light, as is the case for the IBM 02K6550
that came with my ThinkPad 240, it's a switcher.  Also, if it handles wide
range input (100-240V) or autosenses between two voltage ranges (100-120,
200-240), it's a switcher.

For my own machine, I'll probably buy a DC adapter.  But if I already had
an inverter, I suppose I'd use it.
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